


Haloea

by Madame_Forget_Me_Not



Category: Lore Olympus (Webcomic)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Gift Giving, Newly weds, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Winter Solstice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-15 08:54:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28560879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madame_Forget_Me_Not/pseuds/Madame_Forget_Me_Not
Summary: Gift-giving season is upon them, but Persephone still isn't sure what to get Hades. As they get ready to attend the Haloea celebration in the mortal realm, she wonders if she can make this first holiday with her new husband one to remember.Written for a Lore Olympus Secret Santa 2020 exchange.
Relationships: Hades/Persephone (Lore Olympus)
Kudos: 63





	Haloea

**Haloea**

Persephone found herself mildly panicked as she scrambled around making last minute preparations. The date had come up too quickly among all the other events taking place in the Underworld. Since she had been crowned queen, she had taken on several other projects to promote the betterment of the realm. She found her work very satisfying, but (workaholic that she was) she tended to bury herself in it and lose track of the rest of the world.

It was coming up on the winter solstice. She and Hades decided to celebrate; her mother had never allowed her to go to the Haloea, and it was a celebration she had always wanted to experience for herself. Hades promised to take her this year, though, for whatever reason, he seemed mildly embarrassed whenever the event came up.

What panicked Persephone more, however, was the other part of the winter solstice celebrations: gift giving. Normally, she wouldn’t worry over something like that too much; she paid attention to those around her, and prided herself on providing them with thoughtful gifts, even if they often had to be homemade. But this gift couldn’t be just anything; this was her first year married to Hades, so it needed to be _special_.

And she had run out of time.

She had several ideas, but none of them seemed perfect. In the midst of her fretting, she pulled out her phone and dialed for help.

“Hello, queenie! How may I be of service to your royal majesty?” Eros’ voice trilled through the speaker. Despite her current mood, Persephone couldn’t help but smile; he had been answering her calls in some similar fashion since the wedding a few months prior. It almost seemed as though her best friend was more excited that she was married than she was (a very hard thing to beat); then again, he _was_ a love god.

“You can help me figure out exactly what to get Hades’ for the solstice celebrations,” she blurted out. She continued to pace the length of the library, hand alternating between tugging at her hair and petting the pups who followed after her every step.

“I thought you’ve been working on that for months,” Eros scoffed.

“Yeah, well, I was also working on _literally everything else_ that comes with transitioning into ruling a realm that has been doing things one way for millennia while trying to enact progressive changes to benefit the afterlives of mortals, as well as the current residents, and—”

“Slow down, sweetie,” Eros interrupted her. “Take a breath. I’ll be over _pronto_ , so don’t worry about a thing. We’ll get this handled together, okay?”

Persephone took a deep breath, finally stilling her pacing. “Okay.”

As Persephone and Hades arrived in the mortal realm in their mortal disguises, they found themselves already surrounded by the opulence and enthusiasm that came with Haloea. Persephone hadn’t known what to expect, so seeing how excited everyone was, the feasts of food, bustling market, and merry dancing had her being swept up in the energy of it all. It made it more noticeable when Hades was hesitant beside her.

“What are you thinking about?” she asked, unable to keep the bright grin off her face.

When Hades saw that, he couldn’t help but chuckle; when Persephone was happy, he was happy. It was that simple.

“To be frank, Sweetness, I’m thinking about the fact that you aren’t quite prepared for what these festivities will entail,” he grinned, more scoundrel than not.

Persephone narrowed her eyes at him. “Just because I’m a village girl?”

“Not at all,” he held up his hands in mock surrender. “More so, you were raised around TGEOM.”

Her eyebrows drew together in confusion. “What does that have to do with anything?”

His grin widened even as a faint blush tinted his cheeks a deeper blue. “Oh, you’ll see.”

They were the odd ones out, travelling together as they were. It seemed the men and women were primarily in their own areas celebrating, but Persephone wrapped her arm firmly around Hades’ elbow, not allowing them to be separated. Throughout the evening, she got to experience watching the giant bonfire the men lit, their games, and the sacrifices of animals to the gods. Many of them were sacrificed to Poseidon as it technically was a celebration for him, but there were plenty of gods with animals dedicated to them. Though messy, the culture was incredibly interesting.

As the night went on, however, the children all went home to bed, and only the adults remained. That’s when Persephone realized why she was never allowed to attend the festivities. The men and women gravitated towards one another gradually, one thing led to another, and suddenly Persephone was a very bright pink as she ducked her face into Hades’ chest.

His laughter rumbled in his chest as he help her close.

“They’re not done,” he informed her. “There are still other activities beyond, ahem, what they are currently up to.”

“Let’s take a bit of a walk for a bit until then?” she asked, looking up at him and making sure she didn’t look _anywhere else._ His eyes twinkled with mischief.

“As you wish, my queen.”

The couple found a back path to wander through the city, chatting about their thoughts on the festivities, what their plans were for the rest of the week, and just life in general. It wasn’t often that their only concern was each other’s company, after all. They got to enjoy the experience, the peace it brought. Eventually they came upon the end of the town proper and found the nearby woods.

It was time.

“So, about your solstice gift,” Persephone began, twiddling their fingers together.

“You know I didn’t expect anything, Sweetness,” Hades assured her.

Persephone rolled her eyes. “Don’t be silly. Of course I got you a gift.”

Hades smiled softly. “I already have the greatest gift.” He cupped her cheek gently as she leaned back against a tree. She giggled, leaning into his hand for a moment before ducking under his arm.

“You’re not getting out of this! Hecate warned me that you’re horrible at accepting presents. I will let you know that I won’t accept no for an answer,” she warned, finger pointing at him. She had abandoned her mortal disguise and was floating up to Hades’ height, all the better to be stern with him.

He watched her closely. “Very well. I can see when I am fighting a losing battle. I give in.”

Her smile was bright. “Good! Then close your eyes. No peaking.”

Once she was sure that Hades was sufficiently blinded, she took a deep breath and drew upon her powers. Creating new life was something she was designed to do. Creating new plants, however, was something different entirely. It took her a great amount of research and tweaking to make sure it was possible. She had nearly given up on it when Eros had encouraged (forced) her into continuing to try. She was able to accomplish a few different flowers, and she didn’t want to mess it up now. Seeing the happy, expectant look on Hades’ face…she knew she wouldn’t mess up.

After a moment, satisfied with her work, she turned back to her husband. “You can open your eyes now.”

She watched his face closely to read every expression. There was shock, awe, and then such an innocent happiness that he looked so much younger than usual.

“Kore, what _is_ this?” he kneeled down to the grass, gently stroking the petal on the new flowers.

“This is a new plant, specifically designed to grow and thrive without natural light.” Hades’ head whipped around to look at her, disbelief written all over his features. “It was inspired by the bioluminescent creatures which thrive in the deepest parts of the ocean. Poseidon and Amphitrite helped me with the research, so they’re to thank in part, too.” He turned back to staring at the new flowers adorning the forest floor. Though they had the normal shape of a rose, they glowed brightly in different shades of blues, pinks, and yellows. Their colors all shone in his eyes and casted him in their glows so he, too, looked like he was glowing.

“Will these…be able to…”

“They are made to thrive in the Underworld,” Persephone assured him as she knelt beside him. She laid her head down on his shoulder and said softly, “I’ve decided to give it the scientific name _Rosa Lucem Inferis_. Officially, though, they’re Hades’ Rose.”

She watched his hands as his fingers trailed over a blue rose reverently. “This is the most beautiful gift I have ever been given,” he chocked out. She watched as a tear fell down his cheek. She wiped it away gently. He turned to look at her, and that reverence was turned on her. “I love you so much. _Thank you_.”

She kissed him slowly, sweetly, before pulling away and resting their foreheads together. “I love you too, always. Happy solstice.”

He gave her a sheepish smile. “And Haloea.”

Persephone laughed, overjoyed with Hades’ response to her gift as well as where she was in her life. “Perhaps we can leave Haloea to your brother and the mortals. I’d rather celebrate at home, with you. You’re _my_ greatest gift.”

**Author's Note:**

> My source for the actual Haloea celebrations. They were WILD. 
> 
> https://daily.jstor.org/celebrating-solstice-the-ancient-greek-way/


End file.
